Dancer and internationally-acclaimed violinist Mari Black is excited to offer another unique “Not Another Musicality” (NAM) workshops to the Boston tango community. This time, the workshop will dive into the nuts and bolts of listening deeply to the beloved Golden Age music.

Mari believes that the key to creating a magical dance is to understand what our musical partners are trying to tell us, so in this seminar, every dancer will become a musician. To do this, you won’t grapple with lofty musical jargon that goes over your head or be told what steps you “ought” to be dancing to a certain song.

Instead, we will:
  -  dance to one of our favorite tango songs until we know it like we are members of the orchestra that plays it.

  -  work on how to focus our ears on different musical elements and discover how to incorporate those element into tango improvisation.

  -  explore how to express specific musical gestures through simple or flashy steps, and find ways to make even an uncomplicated walk magical through a strong connection with the music.

At the end of the seminar, you will get fresh ideas for how to hear music in a novel way. Not only will you know one song in detail like you have never imagined, you’ll also have the tools to understand other songs in greater depth.

Everyone is welcome!  Whether you are beginning or advanced, or a dancer or musician, you will come away hearing things you have not heard before.   The session builds on the material covered at the NAM workshop in November, but is also easily accessible if you didn’t make it to the first workshop.

VIDEOS

Milonga Paradiso  2011
Mari explored the many variables at play between live musicians and lively dancers.

Yale Festival  2010
Mari's classes at the 2009 and 2010 Yale Tango Festival received rave reviews and left over a hundred inspired dancers in their wake.

Mari Black developed her love for tango as a student at Yale, and is now known on and off the dance floor as a multi-style violinist and teacher dedicated to bridging the gap between the musician, dancer, and storyteller. On the violin, she is a champion Celtic and Canadian fiddler, international prize-winning classical soloist, avid jazz player, and accomplished composer. In the tango world, you may have seen her as the violin soloist with the Monster Orchestra at the last Tango de los Muertos, or leading the All-Star Orchestra in workshop at the 2010 Yale Tango Festival. Most recently, her new Boston-based tango orchestra, Orquesta Sin Trabajo, has been delighting local dancers with their bold arrangements and great musical humor in their special appearances. Among her many other projects, Mari is dedicated to developing her “Not Another Musicality” curriculum, and will be starting regular class series in the Boston community in the spring.